Andy sent me this article describing why email can be bad for you, and how to be more productive in general. (Homestar: “Ow … those things are BAD for you!”)

Let’s take the concentration impact first.  I’m a software engineer, and programming requires extended periods of concentration.  Actually this isn’t unique to programming, a lot of fields require that you concentrate.  (Probably just about everything worth doing requires some concentration!)

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I maintain that programming cannot be done in less than three-hour windows.  It takes three hours to spin up to speed, gather your concentration, shift into “right brain mode”, and really focus on a problem.  Effective programmers organize their day to have at least one three-hour window, and hopefully two or three.  (This is why good programmers often work late at night.  They don’t get interrupted as much…)

That last part is something I knew, but had never seen put into words before. Now that I have some tangible ground to stand upon, maybe I can structure my work-environment a little better. Like closing Apple Mail and NetNewsWire … unless I’m really looking for a special email.